Returning to Little Spirit Peak, Zhou Qing gazed at the red token before him, lost in thought.
Since the Collection Pavilion has no related records, it is evident that this item is entirely beyond what the Taiqing Sect can access.
After all, the white skeleton, even though it had fallen for many years, emanated an oppressive aura that seemed to surpass that of a master. As for the one who seized it, driven by rage, he killed an entire city to vent his anger, fearless of the karma of slaughter.
"This item must be well hidden; otherwise, it could bring disaster to the entire Taiqing Sect!" Zhou Qing decided.
But holding a golden mountain in his hand yet unable to find its path, Zhou Qing felt quite regretful.
Just as he was about to store the token into his storage space, he suddenly had a thought.
Wondered if the same item could be appraised twice?
Since today’s "Daily Reflection" has not been used, might as well give it a try.
As Zhou Qing’s gaze focused on the token once again for appraisal, a line of feedback different from before appeared.
[Unactivated Key: As one of the nine keys of the Divine Ruins Celestial Palace, it remains unactivated. By placing it at your Spirit Core for three days of nurturing and marking it with Essence Blood, you will become its new master.]
Upon seeing this, Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up.
Unexpectedly, it worked, and he had wasted so many opportunities of "Daily Reflection" in vain.
If he were to discard this item, it would be too unfortunate. But if he doesn’t, and someone else has special means to perceive it, he’d be courting death.
Only by fully mastering it can he be at ease.
Without hesitation, Zhou Qing placed it at his Spirit Core. Sure enough, strands of black and white aura seemed to be drawn to it, gently wrapping around.
"Old Four, Old Four!" Just as he finished, Yan Xiaohu’s knocking resounded outside the door.
Zhou Qing walked out and opened the door, seeing Yan Xiaohu’s excited expression.
"What’s the matter? Did the Master reimburse you more?" Zhou Qing teased.
Yan Xiaohu waved his hand, remembering the reimbursement was days ago.
"I have some insider information; in a few days, the Seventh Prince and Ninth Princess of the Holy Martial Dynasty will visit our Taiqing Sect." Yan Xiaohu was thrilled.
Zhou Qing was somewhat surprised, then seemingly thought of something, asking, "Is the Ninth Princess coming to find you?"
"Find my ass, don’t joke around. Would she fancy me... or would I fancy her? Remember, brother is the man she’ll never get. But what I mean is, the senior brother will come out of retreat by then because the Seventh Prince will be looking for him." Yan Xiaohu said mysteriously.
Zhou Qing was puzzled.
Yan Xiaohu explained, "You might not know, this Seventh Prince and senior brother are familiar due to past rivalry and have competed many times. He’s likely coming this time due to his cultivation advancement, ready for another showdown."
Zhou Qing pondered for a moment, confusedly said, "I see. But in that case, our Taiqing Sect seems to be connected to the royal family. Why would Cangyan Daoist Palace dare to harm us in the dark?"
Yan Xiaohu patted Zhou Qing’s shoulder, sighing, "You’re still too young, unaware of the complexities. Let me give you a lesson, as your senior brother."
Yan Xiaohu then organized his thoughts: "Cultivation levels are divided into Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divinity Transformation, and Spirit Severing. Of course, I’ve heard there’s an even higher realm above Spirit Severing, but these are too distant for us to discuss."
"You should know, everyone is part of a Cultivation Country, including our Taiqing Sect. Cultivation Countries are also graded; do you know our grade?"
Zhou Qing nodded, "Fourth-level Cultivation Country!"
Yan Xiaohu continued, "Exactly. If a country’s land has cultivators reaching the Spirit Severing Stage, it automatically ascends to a fourth-level Cultivation Country, enjoying more resources and territory. Our Holy Martial Country only ascended when the Old Emperor fortunately reached Spirit Severing Stage three thousand years ago."
"But with only one Spirit Severing Realm, our Holy Martial Dynasty becomes the weakest of fourth-level Cultivation Countries. To prevent annexation and mutual assistance, the Old Emperor used large resources and shared cultivation insights, helping several top sect patriarchs smoothly enter the Spirit Severing Realm."
"To date, our Holy Martial Dynasty has at least thirteen Spirit Severing, securing the fourth-level Cultivation Country title firmly."
Zhou Qing felt a myriad of emotions upon hearing this, as he had some understanding of his environment even before becoming an apprentice, wandering alone.
After joining the Taiqing Sect, he gained more detailed knowledge through the sect’s platform.
In Taiqing Sect, people like the Master and Sect Leader are generally in different stages of the Divinity Transformation Realm. Several Supreme Elders are at the peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm with little hope of breaking through to Spirit Severing.
Cultivation becomes more challenging the further one progresses. Factors like Foundation Establishment, innate talent, cultivation resources, etc., are interconnected, unlike the initial layers.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so few Spirit Severing practitioners in the vast Holy Martial Dynasty, all born within these few thousand years.
Yan Xiaohu continued: "Our Holy Martial Dynasty is vast, with countless sects like our Taiqing Sect, all centering around the Holy Martial Dynasty."
"As for your earlier question, it can be explained now. The contemporary Emperor has many offspring. Almost every prince has his own more or less forces, mainly from military generals or their mothers’ side."